Outgoing Caller ID

Analog

On analog phone lines, your local telephone company must configure Caller ID information.  There is no call-signaling channel on an analog phone line to send the caller id information.  The only information sent over the line for an outgoing call is the number dialed.

If your outbound Caller ID on your analog lines is inaccurate, please contact your carrier.

T1/E1, PRI, and VoIP

Digital lines like PRI's and VoIP have a call-signaling channel that can send Caller ID information.  The carrier can re-transmit this information to the end party. 

To configure Global Caller ID:

1. Click on Options --> settings

2. Click the + sign next to Telecom Settings

3. The second option is Global Caller ID.  Select one of the phone numbers you own from the list.  If you have not yet added any phone numbers to your PBXtra , please read How do I add a phone number to my system?

4. Click Apply All Changes

To configure Caller ID on a per-extension basis:

1. Click on Extensions

2. Click any extension in the list that should have a unique Caller ID

3. From the Outbound Caller ID field select a phone number from the drop-down

4. Click "Apply All Changes"

Caller ID Name

Because of the way that phone companies provide the Caller ID name service, the name shown is based on a database lookup from the Caller ID number.  The call signaling itself does not carry over the Caller ID name information. Because of this, it is not possible for the PBX to affect or change the Caller ID name that is associated with your number. The only way to adjust the text that displays along with your number  is to check with your carrier to see if their service includes the ability to modify your outbound Caller ID name. 

Caller ID Blocking

If you would like to help protect your privacy when placing an outbound call, your PBX has the option of allowing you to block your Caller ID on either all outgoing calls or on a per extension basis. This feature will work for most PRI type connections and VoIP carriers.  

Setting your outbound Caller ID to Blocked will send your outbound calls as all zeros as the calling party number (CPN) also known as Caller ID.  Sending all zeros is designed to send "Unknown" to the called party which will prevent the called party from seeing your phone number.  

Regional Caller ID Masking

In some situations, it is either not desirable or not possible to send all zeros as the Caller ID number. For example, toll free numbers do not accept calls from a caller with a zero Caller ID number.

Also, depending on your carrier, sending all zeros could cause your call to send out a different number that could not be associated with you at all.  

The best way to avoid this is by setting up a new outbound phone number on your system with just an area code and all zeros such as 310-000-0000.   Doing this will assure that your actual number is not being sent to the called party, and they will not be able to call the number back as you are not sending a valid telephone number.

You can modify your outbound calls this way by first adding a new number on the web admin panel by navigating to the  Phone Numbers (Extensions -> Phone Numbers) page:

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Troubleshooting 

PRI and VoIP 

In order for Caller ID blocking to work on your system, your carrier must be able to allow calls to go out with a different phone number other than your own phone number.  If you are unable to place any calls after setting your outbound caller ID as Blocked, please contact your carrier to see if they support Caller ID blocking.

If you are using a VoIP connection you will need to verify that there is no fromuser specified in the advanced section for your VoIP account on the Options -> VoIP page.  The data in this field will always override any outgoing caller ID adjustments you page in your admin panel.  If this setting is required by your VoIP carrier, you will not be able to adjust the Outbound Caller ID unless you contact your VoIP carrier.

Analog Telephone Lines 

It is not possible to change the Outbound Caller ID on analog lines from PBX side.  If you would like to have Caller ID blocking enabled you can contact your local telephone carrier and request a feature called Complete Caller ID Blocking which will then always send a Private tag for all calls placed to non-toll free numbers.  

Setting the Outbound Caller ID Globally  

1. Click on Options --> settings

2. Click the + sign next to Telecom Settings

3. The second option is Global Caller ID.  Select the number of your choice or Blocked.

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4. Click "Apply All Changes"  on the bottom of the page.

Setting the Outbound Caller ID on a Per-Extension Basis 

1. Click on Extensions

2. Click any extension number in the list that you wish to prevent from sending a Caller ID number.

3. From the Outbound Caller ID field select the number you wish the extension to pass or enable Caller ID blocking for the specific extension.

4. Click "Apply All Changes" on the bottom of the page.